Guernsey Legal Resources

    If a bill of costs, which is to be taxed on a standard basis, states the number of hours spent by individual fee-earners on preparation items such as perusals, attending generally and drafting, but fails to state the hourly recoverable rates for those fee-earners in respect of each item of work, it is for the court conducting the taxation to decide upon reasonable rates. Any doubt as to reasonableness is to be exercised in favour of the paying party. It may therefore be proper for the court to reduce the figure to the lowest acceptable recoverable rate at the time the work was done. For those fee-earners for whom the current recoverable rate is £200 per hour, it is permissible to specify £150 per hour in the taxation and for those whose current recoverable rate is lower, it is permissible to factor in their costs at 50% of that rate.